As global health communities observe World Malaria Day, Ghana remains entrenched in a strategic campaign to eliminate a disease that continues to claim lives and strain healthcare systems.
Paul Boateng, Malaria Case Management Lead at Ghana’s National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP), outlined the nation’s layered approach during a recent interview, emphasizing prevention, targeted treatment, and the looming threat of drug resistance.
Central to Ghana’s strategy is the widespread use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), distributed freely every three years and routinely at health facilities. Pregnant women, children under five, and immunocompromised groups like HIV patients are prioritized. “The nets repel and kill mosquitoes on contact, breaking the transmission cycle,” Boateng explained. Data shows ITNs have contributed to a steady decline in malaria prevalence, which dropped from 27.5% in 2011 to 14.4% in 2022, though regional disparities persist.
For high-risk areas such as the Upper East, Northern, Savannah, and Oti regions, Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) provides monthly antimalarial drugs to children under five during the rainy season. This intervention, Boateng noted, has slashed severe cases and deaths among vulnerable children. Similarly, pregnant women receive sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) from their second trimester to delivery, countering heightened risks linked to weakened immunity and placental infection.
Ghana’s shift from presumptive treatment to mandatory testing before administering artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) reflects lessons learned from past drug resistance. Chloroquine, once a frontline treatment, was abandoned in the early 2000s after the parasite developed immunity. “Every fever is not malaria,” Boateng stressed. “Testing ensures ACTs are reserved for confirmed cases, preserving their efficacy.” Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and microscopy are now standard in clinics, though stockouts and uneven healthcare access remain hurdles.
While Plasmodium falciparum the deadliest malaria parasite accounts for 98% of Ghana’s cases, Boateng remains optimistic. “Over 40 countries have eliminated malaria using the same tools we have,” he said, citing Egypt, Cape Verde, and China as models. Ghana’s malaria mortality rate fell by 88% between 2000 and 2022, yet challenges linger: climate change prolongs transmission seasons, urbanization fosters mosquito breeding sites, and funding gaps threaten program sustainability.
Global partnerships, including support from the Global Fund and President’s Malaria Initiative, bolster Ghana’s efforts. However, Boateng emphasized that elimination hinges on local action: community adherence to bed nets, timely healthcare-seeking behavior, and addressing socioeconomic barriers like poverty and education.
As Ghana marks World Malaria Day, the path forward demands more than medical interventions. Strengthening health infrastructure, curbing counterfeit drugs, and fostering political will are critical. Success stories abroad prove elimination is feasible, but Ghana’s journey underscores a universal truth: defeating malaria requires not just science, but societal resolve. With sustained investment and public trust, the nation inches closer to joining the ranks of countries that have turned the tide against one of humanity’s oldest foes.
